Archives for Europe’s East

There are rising problems in the Western Balkans. Serbia’s role in fostering region stability is growing as tensions increase in the traditionally problematic Balkan triangle of Croatia-Serbia-Bosnia. Serbia’s balancing act between Washington and the European Union on one side and Russia on the other has gained visibility since late 2014. Russia lost ground when the… » read more

During a week of Brexit, two other items caught my attention: German (foreign) politics and the announcement of the establishment of the European Border and Coast Guard. The media buzzed on June 20 and June 21 announcing the visit of the German Minister of Economy Gabriel to Russia. First, it is still not clear whether… » read more

Kublai Khan: “But which is the stone that supports the bridge?” Marco Polo: “The bridge is not supported by one stone or another, but by the line of the arch that they form.” Kublai Khan: “Why do you speak to me of the stones? It is only the arch that matters to me.” Marco Polo:… » read more

During a training course on geopolitics, just a few days after the Paris terrorist attacks, I was asked whether there are “geopolitical advantages and disadvantages” for countries and, if so, which are the disadvantages for Romania, considering the current challenges Europe is facing. My reply was that there are no advantages and disadvantages – there… » read more

News coming from the Western Balkans states resembles much with news coming from Moldova, with protests against the government being the current norm. Popular unrest relates first of all to the socio-economic reality in these countries, but it also refers to the East-West balance of power. The so called ‘normalization process’ between Kosovo and Serbia,… » read more

Over the past few weeks, we have seen how two of the pillars of the world economy, Europe and China, have entered a phase of uncertainty about their future. The worries relating to the Chinese stock markets drop have been intersecting with those linked to Greek crisis in the global news. In fact, the dra(h)matic… » read more

Positive rhetoric was coming out in the Russian media on May 13 and 14 on the Sochi talks between the U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and both the Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov two days ago. The media pointed out that the visit to Russia was Kerry’s first… » read more

The Munich Security Conference’s theme for 2015 was the question “Collapsing Order, Reluctant Guardians?”. On this background, the main topic discussed during the event was Ukraine. A few days later after the conference ended, on Feb. 12, negotiations on Ukraine conflict completed in what the media calls the Minsk Agreement 2.0, giving a feeling of… » read more

The year has started with news about Turkmenistan devaluing the manat against the dollar and raising their domestic gasoline prices. This relates to the ongoing problems faced by the Russian rubble, which have had a ripple effect throughout FSU and Central Asia especially. The fall of the rubble in Russia as well as the general… » read more

In the morning of Dec. 16, the ruble was supposed to rally. Instead, it collapsed. The ruble fell as the current account was improving, something that shows the collapse has had little to do with speculators, but has had everything to do with capital outflows, a signal that domestic investors and depositors have lost credibility… » read more

Every day, events occur that influence the state of the world. This blog comments on what's important, breaking down international news and raising questions to analyze their potential effects on global markets and politics.

About: Global Perspectives - Antonia Colibasanu

Antonia Colibasanu is a geopolitical risk analyst. Currently she is Stratfor's regional partner for Europe as well as Honorary Adviser to Romania’s Minister of Energy. She also works closely with the bestselling authors George Friedman and Robert D. Kaplan. A supporter for educational activities, she's also taking any opportunity to discuss with students and fellow researchers. Antonia frequently speaks on international economics and security topics at conferences and events in Europe, and since 2012, she has served on the educational board of the International Academy of Advanced Studies in Greece. Prior to joining Stratfor in 2006, Dr. Colibasanu held a variety of roles with the World Trade Center Association in Bucharest. With a background in academia both in Europe and the US, she holds a doctorate in international business and economics from Bucharest's Academy of Economic Studies, where her thesis focused on country risk analysis and investment decision-making processes within transnational companies. She also holds a master's degree in international project management. She is an alumna of the International Institute on Politics and Economics, Georgetown University.